From Letter to Letter
by ThreeBooksInTheFire
Summary: 26 Drabbles for 26 symbols and 26 random situations. Get ready for angst, humor, 'your mom' jokes, and much, much more.
1. A is for Abstention

A is for Abstention.

* * *

He noticed after about thirty years what he was getting himself into.

It was stupid, really, to realize the truth and back away from it like it was a hostile animal, especially since the truth was only natural: She was a rather attractive female, and who didn't like giving attractive females gifts? (_Excuses… Lies…)_

But what bothered him was the reasons he gave them. Usually attractive females were attracted to attractive males. Attractive meaning they have skin. (_Does she really care?)_

And besides, in a way, wasn't it betraying Alison? (_Excuses, lies…)_

_Wasn't it betraying himself?_

* * *

Abstention |abˈsten sh ən|  
Noun  
**1 **an instance of declining to vote for or against a proposal or motion : _a resolution passed by 126 votes to none, with six abstentions.  
**2 **the fact or practice of restraining oneself from indulging in something; abstinence : __alcohol consumption versus abstention__._

___

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Skulduggery Pleasant, and the only thing hurt in the making of this fic was my dictionary... And my thesaurus, now that I think about it... D (Should I go molest an encyclopedia now, too?)_


	2. B is for Blindsided

B is for Blindsided

* * *

Her smile. That's what got him to sit up and take notice. Usually he didn't pay much attention to women, because they would find him… Well, ghastly. He tried to avoid the heartache, he steered clear of moral turpentine, but when she smiled at him like that…

The man had to wonder just how much he had been missing out on for all these years… Alone, when he could have had someone there for him?

Or was it just this particular brunette?

* * *

Blind Side  
Noun [in sing. ]  
A direction in which a person has a poor view, typically of approaching danger : _a minivan nearly clipped him on his blind side.  
• The side opposite the one toward which a person is looking : __they came at me from my blind side _| [as adj. ] _the crushing blind-side sack of the quarterback._

* * *

A/N: _Haha, new pairing, everyone! *wink wink*_


	3. C is for Curio

C is for Curio

* * *

Valkyrie held the object up to the light: It was made of glass, or at least appeared to be, with a loop on one end. It was a necklace, then. The glass itself was stained in odd ways, with a basic theme of blues and purples.

She turned back to the skeleton, who was waiting for her reaction even though he hid it well. Suddenly she had to wonder… Just _what_ was the motive behind this gift? She decided to find out. Maybe Tanith would help.

"It's lovely."

"Since when do you use the word _lovely_?"

"Since you started giving me gifts."

* * *

Curio |ˈkyoŏrēˌō|  
Noun ( pl. **-os**)  
A rare, unusual, or intriguing object.


	4. D is for Drafty

D is for Drafty

* * *

Valkyrie sniffled, sneezed, and squeezed her tired eyes shut, rolling away from the bright window and curling up tighter in her blankets. She was 18. Wasn't she supposed to be getting a job or something instead of lying in bed with a cold? It probably didn't help that Gordon had let his house go a little (since he was _dead_, maybe Stephanie should have paid closer attention...) and now she was freezing cold and tired and perhaps a little sad. Stupid Gordon. Stupid snow. Stupid Skeleton knocking on the door she had to get _fixed_ because of him. If he broke it down...

"Valkyrie, you home?" Maybe he didn't need to break it down. Was there a window she should lock? Maybe that was why it was so cold...

\Valkyrie hid under her blankets when she heard someone coming up the mansion stairs, and stayed very still when someone opened the door- maybe he wouldn't see her?

"Your hiding skills need some work." He informed her cheerfully as he sat on the edge of her bed, "and your house-keeping skills could be improved on- You look ghastly!"

Valkyrie glared at him and disappeared again under the covers.

"No, really. You do. I'm beginning to re-think my choice of bringing you out today."

"...What?"

* * *

Drafty |ˈdraftē|  
Adjective ( draftier , draftiest )  
(of an enclosed space) Cold and uncomfortable because of currents of cool air :_anyone would get pneumonia living in the drafty old house._

_

* * *

A/N: This one is a bit long, but, uh... Yeah. Hope I didn't demolish Skulduggery's character, I'm HORRIBLE at him and my friend kidnapped my book so I have no reference... :P _


	5. E is for Electrify

E is for Electrifying

* * *

It was a rush. The clashing of swords, the burning in her lungs and in her muscles, the knowledge that if she moved too slowly (or too quickly), if she made one wrong move- It could be the end of her. The pumping of her heart and the pain and the pleasure were all part of the game.

It was a thrill. The gravity flipping around her as she re-oriented the world into the way that she liked it, as if she could alter the rules of nature, the dizzying sensation of jumping from building to building- sideways, the knowledge that she could pull a Dracula at any moment and walk up a wall into anybody's house. And she used to, too. The excitement of the chase and the thrill of the catch were something she only gained recently, instead of the fear of the chase and the despair of the catch.

It was different. And she was all for different.

* * *

Electrify |iˈlektrəˌfī|  
Verb (** -fies**,** -fied**) [ trans. ]  
Charge with electricity; pass an electric current through : [as adj. ] (** electrified**) _an electrified fence.  
• (often** be electrified**) convert (a machine or system, esp. a railroad line) to the use of electrical power.  
• __figurative _impress greatly; thrill : _he electrified the most sophisticated of audiences._

___

* * *

Heh, random tidbits of Tanith's past, if you squint. _


	6. F is for a very bad word

F is for F***

* * *

She dodged the blow, weaved under his arm to get partway behind him, and generously helped him over her hip and onto the rooftop's concrete. Her back was towards the edge of the roof, and the wind blew her hair in her face. She paused for a moment to sweep it behind and ear, and then- she slipped, nearly falling off the roof and barely managing to catch the ledge.

"&^%*."

* * *

A/N: _I really just couldn't resist… Help me out people, what was that guy's name? At the beginning of the second book? Something with an S…(He likes S names, I think it was Sagacious or something.)_

_And, **really**, do you **need** a definition for this particular word?_


	7. G is for Grab

G is for Grab

* * *

Skulduggery had nothing against it, really. In fact, he admired her willingness to step into people's homes and take things of value, something that he himself had found himself wanting to do for quite some time. He guessed that the intruder was about twelve, thought he could not make any features out in the dark, and holding his pocket-watch. Fortunately, he was between her and the window.

"So, little thief, what will you do next?"

"Bring it on- That is, _if_ you think you're hard enough."

Cheeky.

* * *

Grab |grab|  
Verb ( grabbed , grabbing )  
1 Grasp or seize suddenly and roughly : _she grabbed him by the shirt collar __she grabbed her keys and rushed out._  
• [ intrans. ] ( grab at/for) make a sudden snatch at :_he grabbed at the handle, missed, and nearly fell._  
• informal obtain or get (something) quickly or opportunistically, sometimes unscrupulously : _I'll grab another drink while there's still time __someone's grabbed my seat._  
• [ intrans. ] (of a brake on a vehicle) grip the wheel harshly or jerkily :_the brakes grabbed very badly._  
2 [usu. with negative or in questions ] informal attract the attention of; make an impression on :_how does that grab you?_

* * *

_A/N__:…Hey, I can do what I want to! You have to admit, though, that Little!Theif!Tanith has some value. (It was originally G is for Glom, but that made me laugh too much. XP)_


	8. H is for Haute

H is for Haute

* * *

"Doesn't look like much."

"It isn't, yet. So, what can I do for you today?"

He could hear the smile in his friend's reply. "Well, I was thinking about a new suit… One that doesn't tear…"

Ghastly's mind ran away with him, a force of habit. Well, this store was supposed to be different then usual… What was wrong with a suit that doesn't tear, burn, was impenetrable by sharp objects, and protected their wearers from long falls?

* * *

Haute |ōt| (or** haut**)  
Adjective  
Fashionably elegant or high-class.

* * *

A/N: _Heh. Skulduggery didn't expect all the extra features. (And why is it that whenever I write Ghastly in a scene with ANYONE, it can be slash if you look at it oddly?!)_


	9. I is for Indue

I is for Indue

* * *

To put it frankly, Valkyrie hated normal people. She couldn't stand to be in a room with them, to watch as they talked about their normal life problems as if it was the end of the world. Valkyrie had nearly _seen_ the end of the world. It wasn't a pretty sight. But when her Father started looking like a clueless idiot to her instead of a distant role-model, Valkyrie just _had_ to wonder.

What kind of gift was magic if it gave you a superiority complex?

* * *

Indue  
Verb  
Variant spelling of** endue.**

Endue |enˈd(y)oō|  
Verb (** -dues **,** -dued **,** -duing **) [ trans. ] poetic/literary  
Endow or provide with a quality or ability : _our sight would be endued with a far greater sharpness._

* * *

A/N_: …No, I'm not cheating! _


	10. J is for Jargon

J is for Jargon

* * *

"I imagine that the _Eu de Sewage_ is quite revolting."

"Eww is right. Thank you for reminding me."

"No, _Eu_ as in French. You _really_ need to read more."

* * *

Jargon 1 |ˈjärgən|  
Noun  
Special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand : _legal jargon._


	11. K is for KO'd

K is for KO'd

* * *

Tanith had never been so surprised to wake up in a hospital with many a broken bone and practically _riddled_ with bruises.

Ghastly had smiled sheepishly at her from the window-seat. She had glared. "You said your mother could throw a punch. You didn't mention that she _would_ throw a punch."

"If you pardon me, I think it may be your own fault, for insulting her on the grounds that she was weak because she didn't fight unnecessarily."

"Shut up."

* * *

KO |ˌkāˈō| informal Boxing  
Noun  
A knockout in a boxing match.

* * *

A/N: _I was randomly searching through the dictionary for K words and stumbled across KO'd, so… I immediately thought of Ghastly, and his mother's boxing habits. Then I thought of Tanith, and her issues with being knocked out in every book. Poor Tanith. _

…_And I __**am**__ aware that Ghastly is a statue. I just ignored that little plot-blocking fact._

_...It was orginally Ghastly knocking Tanith around. But then I was like "no." and changed it to his mom. _


	12. L is for Linger

L is for Linger

* * *

China might be one of the very, very few who remember how Skulduggery was while alive. She might actually be the _only one_ who bothers to remember, now that Serpine was dead and his jealousy towards the skeleton with him.

Every time he comes in through her door, even more so with Valkyrie (who looks so much like Penelope, if not in looks then in attitude) at his heels, she is struck by how much he has changed from the raven-haired young man who flirted with her teasingly and wound up in an alley in London as a result. (Alison had been displeased.)

China draws herself out of it every time. "Yes, what can I help you with today?"

* * *

Linger |ˈli ng gər|  
Verb [ intrans. ]  
Stay in a place longer than necessary, typically because of a reluctance to leave : _she lingered in the yard, enjoying the warm sunshine _| _she let her eyes linger on him suggestively.  
• (** linger over**) spend a long time over (something) : __she lingered over her meal.  
• Be slow to disappear or die : __the tradition seems to__** linger on **__we are thankful that she didn't__** linger on **__and suffer._

* * *

A/N: _Alison is the name that Lady Tourniquet(?) gave his wife. I agreed. Penelope is the name I gave his daughter. I happen to like it. (Sorry if I messed tense-shifted, I usually don't write what's happening in the present tense.)_


	13. M is for Mom

M is for Mom

* * *

"…And then we could stop by a restaurant so you can eat, then train, then I can drive you home. How does that sound?"

"Your mom."

There was a few moments silence, and then Stephanie had to laugh. "You've NEVER heard of a 'Your mom' joke?"

"…That was a _joke_? Strange sense of you got there. For a moment I thought you'd gone mad. And on your birthday, too…"

"And that would be such a shame, right?"

"I was actually looking forward to it."

* * *

Yermom  
Noun  
Slang for "your mom," which is the ultimate come back in any situation, but it is said so quickly that it sounds like one word.


	14. N is for NailBiter

N is for Nail-Biter

* * *

Stephanie read a book on a chair by the elevators while Skulduggery looked through a magazine leaning against the wall on the other side of the room. Ghastly paced back and forth between the two.

"Calm down, Ghastly." Ghastly wasn't sure which one of them said it. He figured it was Valkyrie: Skulduggery would figure him calming down as a lost cause and just watch, making sure he didn't hurt himself.

"Calm down?! How can I calm down?! I don't even know what's going on!"

Skulduggery almost laughed, but didn't. He had been in this situation. "I know. But try not to yell loud enough that she can hear, because she _really_ doesn't need that kind of stress right now." He had also been in _that_ situation.

Ghastly sighed, ran a hand over his head- No disguise, there was no time in the rush out of the door- and sat in a chair near Skulduggery. Trying to calm himself down, he breathed slowly and felt his heart-rate drop. He could wait. He could wait. He had to wait. Worrying won't hurry things up-

"Um, Mr. Bespoke?" A nervous nurse called, leaning around the corner like she was afraid something would bite her.

His heart sped right back up again.

* * *

Nail-biter (also** nail biter**)  
Noun  
A situation causing great anxiety or tension.

* * *

A/N: _*snickers* Really, I can imagine this sort of thing happening. Oddly normal, for a group of... Eh... 12 year olds, Skeletons, wall-walkers, and ugly men, amiright?_


	15. O is for Obsessed

O is for Obsessing

* * *

Ghastly jumped up from his chair. "Y-yes?"

"Tanith's calling for you."

He barely remembered the walk to the hospital room, but he _did_ remember Skulduggery's light touch as he poked him inside and then closed the door a little harder then necessary. Tanith noticed the noise immediately, and scowled at him while he stood, dumb-founded, just inside the door.

She looked, _politely_, like she had just been thrown out to sea for two weeks, swallowed by a whale, then spit out again on a beach covered in hot stones before chased by police cars through an invisible bush.

"Well?! Are you just going to stand there gawking or are you going to meet your daughter?!" She demanded.

Nervously, he walked over to her side, and looked at the little bundle he only noticed when she pointed at it. "Your daughter." She stated again, a little calmer but still obviously irate.

He could see a small fist hanging onto the edge of the bundle, but not much else. The fist was red, angry. A fold of blanket covered her tiny face. Ghastly held his breath. Would she turn out like him…? He touched the blanket, softly, then moved the fold. His heart lept into his throat, then seemed to give out on him as he half-collapsed-half-sat on the edge of the bed next to Tanith.

Her hair was a soft blond, and her dark eyes watched him with her mother's gaze. No scars. No marks. _Perfect_.

Tanith looked at him like he might be sick. "Are you okay? I don't think I should let you hold her, you look like you'll drop her!"

Ghastly sighed, covered his eyes with a hand, and smiled. "I… I think I can manage."

"If you drop her…" Tanith didn't complete her threat. She didn't need to.

* * *

Obsess |əbˈses|  
Verb [ trans. ] (usu.** be obsessed**)  
Preoccupy or fill the mind of (someone) continually, intrusively, and to a troubling extent.

* * *

A/N:_D'aww, I might have to make this into a full story. Or someone else can make it into a full story...?_


	16. P is for Pretermit

P is for Pretermit

* * *

Stephanie sighed. Her side ached, her chest burned, and her eyes were ready to close. "Do we have to train after _that_?"

"Of course we do."

"Damn Skeleton…" She muttered. "Can feel pain but can't feel _exhausted_…" She hoped a bit that he didn't hear it, but most of her hoped he did. After 6 years of doing this sort of thing, it had gotten _old_.

Skulduggery drove in silence for a minute or two, and Stephanie nearly fell asleep in the passenger seat. Then, without a word, he turned onto the road that led to Haggard, and her Uncle's mansion.

* * *

Pretermit |ˌprētərˈmit|  
Verb (** -mitted **,** -mitting **) [ trans. ] archaic  
**1 **Omit to do or mention : _some points of conduct we advisedly pretermit.  
**2 **Abandon (a custom or continuous action) for a time._

* * *

A/N: _I'm a little worried about my computer. Is it sick? 'Cause it says Pretermit isn't a word, even though I looked it up in the digital dictionary that comes with the computer. ._


	17. Q is for Quake

Q is for Quake

* * *

Skulduggery cursed as he ran through the ruined asphalt of the street, having been forced to leave his Bently at his home because a tree decided to ruin his day, seeing the fires and ruins that was now the old town of Haggard. He really didn't care much for the town anyway, but one of the occupants…

He jumped over a broken-down fence, swearing again as his coat caught but did not rip. Just this once, he thought that it might have been preferable that it did.

Finally he got to where her old house was, and began to yell. "Valkyrie! Valkyrie!" Shoving a timber out of his way, he was half-surprised to hear a thunk as behind him was hit by the piece of wood. He turned, and gaped.

Stephanie glared at him, covered in soot, bruises, and blood. Her hair was flat on one side and looked a little burnt on the other, not the nicest of contrasts. "That was _just_ what I needed. A piece of wood that used to be my house thrown into my face. Thank you _ever so much_- What the hell are you doing?!"

* * *

Quake |kwāk|  
Verb [ intrans. ]  
(esp. of the earth) Shake or tremble _: the rumbling vibrations set the whole valley quaking. _See note at **shake **.  
(Noun) informal  
An earthquake.

* * *

A/N_: Heh, I'll let you imagine what he's doing to her… (Naw, it's not that. Filthy-minded perverts…) _

_P.S. I'm having some trouble with R is for Racy. If you comment fast enough, you might get some suggestions in before my author's block goes away! :D_


End file.
